1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a panel detaching apparatus for a car-mounted audio system, and more particularly, to a panel detaching apparatus for a car-mounted audio system capable of detaching a panel installed in a front face of the car-mounted audio system from the car-mounted audio system body for preventing the car-mounted audio system from being stolen.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently developed audio devices are generally compact. Especially, audio devices installed in a car or the like must be compact and thin due to the space limitations. The panel installed in the front side of the audio device has a liquid crystal display (hereinafter, referred to as LCD) to display information about the operation of the audio device, function knobs to indicate the operation, a recording medium inserting slot, and the like. When a driver leaves his or her car installed with the car audio having the panel, and to insure that the audio equipment cannot be used without the panel if stolen to thereby discourage possible theft by detaching the panel from the escutcheon, several devices have been proposed.
One conventional panel detaching apparatus for the car-mounted audio system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,683.
In the appended figures, FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional panel detaching apparatus for a car-mounted audio system.
An escutcheon 10 for receiving a panel 20 is formed at the front side of a car audio system body. An upper supporting piece 11 and a lower supporting piece 13 are mounted at the rear face of the escutcheon 10 by screws. The upper supporting piece 11 and the lower supporting piece 13 are made of metal. A fixing part 15 is installed at the rear face of the escutcheon 10 by the upper supporting piece 11 and the lower supporting piece 13. The fixing part 15 has an upper protrusion 15A for hooking the panel 20. A lower protrusion 15B is elastically supported by a coil spring 17. A rotating piece 19 is installed between the upper supporting piece 13 and the escutcheon 10 so that the fixing part 15 rotates when the rotating piece 19 is pressed back toward the escutcheon 10.
The panel 20 capable of detaching is installed at the front face of the escutcheon 10. A groove 21 is formed at an upper end of one side of the panel 20. The groove 21 has a connecting protrusion 23 capable of engaging with the upper protrusion 15A of the fixing part 15 when the panel 20 has been mounted at the escutcheon 10. When the panel 20 is detached from the escutcheon 10, the upper protrusion 15A of the fixing part 15 is disengaged from the connecting protrusion 23. An ejecting knob 25 is installed at the front face of the panel 20. The ejecting knob 25 has a pin 25A which passes through the panel 20 to push out the rear face of the panel 20. The pin 25A pushes the rotating piece 19 installed at the escutcheon 10.
Hereinafter, an operation of the conventional panel detaching apparatus for the car-mounted audio system will be described.
In order to mount the panel 20 onto the escutcheon 10, an operator presses the panel 20 to the escutcheon 10. Thereafter the upper protrusion 15A of the fixing part 15 is fastened to the connecting protrusion 23 in the groove 21. That is, the panel 20 is attached to the escutcheon 10 by the fixing part 15 mounted on the rear face of the escutcheon 10.
In this state, the front panel 20 has been mounted at the escutcheon 10, and it becomes possible to operate the car-mounted audio system by pressing plural operation knobs installed at the panel 20.
In order to detach the panel 20 from the escutcheon 10 of the car-mounted audio system, an operator presses the ejecting knob 25 installed in the front face of the panel 20, and then the pin 25A forces the rotating piece 19 to move toward the rear side of the escutcheon 10. The rotating piece 19 forces the fixing part 15, rotatably supported by the upper supporting piece 11 and the lower supporting piece 13, to rotate. The fixing part 15 forces the upper protrusion 15A in the fixing part 15 to depart from the connecting protrusion 23 in the groove 21. In this time, the panel 20 is pushed by the restoring force of an unshown elastic part installed in the front face of the escutcheon 10. Therefore, the panel 20 is detached from the escutcheon 10.
According to the conventional panel detaching apparatus for the car-mounted audio system, first, in order to mount the panel 20 onto the escutcheon 10, a number of components are required.
Second, because a number of components are installed at the rear face of the escutcheon 10 by the screw, high production cost, additional time to assemble a number of components, and a number of assemblers are required.
Third, according to the conventional panel detaching apparatus for the car-mounted audio system, in order to attach the panel 20 to the escutcheon 10, since the operator of the car-mounted audio system must go through the above mentioned order to mount the rotating piece 19, the coil spring 17, the fixing part 15, and the supporting pieces 11 and 13 onto the rear face of the escutcheon 10, the method for mounting the front panel onto the escutcheon is somewhat difficult.
Fourth, since the connecting protrusion 23 formed at the groove 21 and the upper protrusion 15A in the fixing part 15 frequently make contact with each other, the connecting protrusion 23 may be worn away and gets damaged by the external impact. Therefore, the connecting force between the connecting protrusion 23 formed at the groove 21 and the upper protrusion 15A in the fixing part 15 may be decreased, and thus the panel 20 is easily detached from the escutcheon 10 when the car body is joggled.